


Too Young

by alistoney



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Breakup, Flashbacks, Love songs, M/M, Rekindling romance, Singer!magnus, hard conversations, musician au, nurse!alec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25092775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alistoney/pseuds/alistoney
Summary: Alec and Magnus are high school sweethearts who haven’t seen each other in years. What happens when, years later, Alec finds out that the now world famous Magnus Bane’s newest song is about him?
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 69
Kudos: 209





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everylosttouch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/everylosttouch/gifts).



> This fic was inspired by the song Too Young by Louis Tomlinson (hence the name of the fic haha).

Sunlight silhouettes Magnus’ form. Rings glint gold as long fingers strum absently at his guitar and Alec watches, enraptured by the beauty of it all. 

The park is quiet today except for the familiar guitar and Magnus’ voice trying out melodies over it. 

They’d come up here to Sunset Rock under the guise of studying but Magnus had brought his guitar and Alec had given up on studying as daylight waned and cast shadows over Magnus’ form. He was too beautiful to not look at. 

Magnus must feel Alec’s gaze on him, but his eyes don’t leave the horizon. The sky is awash with hues of pink and gold as the sun sets. 

Alexander,” he says softly, the single word so full of affection Alec’s heart could burst from it, “You think I should write a song about this?” 

Alec bites his lip and lets his gaze wander Magnus’ profile. The curl of his eyelashes, the slight sparkle of eyeshadow on his eyelids, the slope of his nose. 

“This?” Alec whispers.

Magnus finally looks over at him, smile radiant. He shrugs.

“Yeah, this,” he leans in so their faces are barely inches apart, “You, me, Sunset Rock, falling in love.”

Magnus’ eyes shine almost gold as he looks into Alec’s. He’s _beautiful_. Alec can’t do anything except close the space between their lips. 

Magnus smiles into the kiss, making Alec laugh, pressing their foreheads together. Happiness is bright in his chest. 

Magnus wants to write a song about this. Them. Falling in love at Sunset Rock. Which is as them as one can get. They’d had their first kiss here. Their first date. Alec smiles. 

“Are you asking permission to write me a love song?”

Magnus laughs, pressing closer and wrapping his arms around Alec’s neck. He pecks Alec’s nose, giggling when Alec flinches away, scrunching his nose.

“I’ll write you a hundred love songs if you’ll let me.” 

Magnus’ voice is teasing but the way he keeps his eyes on Alec as he says it betrays the sincerity of the statement. 

“Only a hundred?” Alec teases, nosing Magnus’ cheek and grinning when he feels him smile.

“Maybe I’ll name one Alexander,” Magnus murmurs, pulling back and ducking down to capture Alec’s lips again. Alec’s heart beats rapidly with the force of his affection. 

He brings a hand up to cup Magnus’ cheek, the other fisted in the front of his shirt. When they break apart Magnus mouths a reverent _I love you_ into his lips. Alec is only eighteen years old but he can’t imagine ever feeling this intensely about anyone else. 

“I love you too,” he whispers. 

They both startle when Magnus’ phone buzzes in his pocket. Magnus’ gaze doesn’t leave Alec, eyes dropping to his lips. It looks like he’s debating just ignoring the call. Alec isn’t opposed. 

The phone keeps buzzing though, so Magnus sighs and pulls away, fishing the phone out of his pocket. 

He freezes as soon as he looks at the screen. Alec is instantly on alert.

“Magnus—“ Alec starts carefully, reaching out a hand for comfort.

Magnus’ eyes are wide when he looks back at Alec, “it’s the record label.” 

Alec can’t hold back his gasp. Magnus had sent out a demo to a few record labels a few months back. He hadn’t heard back from any of them. Alec had almost forgotten about it. 

“Answer it!” Alec urges when Magnus stays frozen.

Magnus takes a long breath before he stands and answers the phone. 

Alec doesn’t try to listen to the conversation, instead watching Magnus’ expression. He watches Magnus’ eyebrows jump and then how he chews at his bottom lip as he listens to what the person on the other line says. 

The call isn’t very long and Alec holds his breath when Magnus hangs up with a quiet thank you. He stares down at the phone for a long moment in which Alec debates what to say. When he looks back up, there are tears in his eyes, “I got a record deal,” he breathes as if he can’t quite believe it. 

Alec is on his feet in a second, stepping into Magnus’ space and pulling him into a hug. Magnus holds tight to his neck and Alec spins them in a half circle, smiling when Magnus laughs, bright and delighted. 

Alec pulls back so he can see his face, hands coming up to cup his cheeks. His tears have spilled over and he looks more beautiful than Alec has ever seen him. 

He’d always known Magnus was insanely talented. This is what Magnus deserves. It’s his _dream._

Alec presses their foreheads together, memorizing this moment. 

“I’m _so_ proud of you.” 

**5 YEARS LATER**

“Morning, Alec!” 

Alec smiles at Cat, taking the last sip of his coffee and taking the files for his patients from the nurses station and flipping through them for the basics. 

“Did you have breakfast?” Cat asks pointedly. In the almost year and a half since Alec had started here as a nurse Cat has somehow turned into that friend who makes sure he’s staying healthy. He’ll never admit it, but he does appreciate the reminders. 

“Does coffee count?” he asks, knowing full well she’s going to roll her eyes at him. 

“Your shift doesn’t start for another seven minutes,” she says, shaking her head at him, “night shift left food in the break room. Go.”

Alec salutes teasingly and hurries to the break room. He finds a few coworkers in the room who are doing the same as him. Maia waves sleepily at him as she passes him. She must’ve been on the night shift. 

The clock on the wall reads 5:24 in the morning. The sun has barely risen and yet Alec is in his element. He might have to get up at the break of dawn every morning but Alec _loves_ his job. 

When he returns to the nurses station, Cat is on the phone and seems to be having a frustrating conversation if her clipped tone is anything to go by. 

“You okay?” He asks carefully once she’s hung up. 

Cat sighs, “Just found out they need me to cover the night shift tomorrow.” 

Alec winces sympathetically. Having to take an unexpected night shift is never something any nurse enjoys, no matter how much they love their job. 

“I’m sorry,” Alec says and Cat shrugs.

“It is what it is. I just don’t have anyone to watch Madzie for the night.” 

Alec perks up. Cat had brought her daughter, Madzie, around the hospital a time or two and she and Alec had hit it off pretty well. Alec had grown fond of her.

“I’m free tomorrow,” he says, “I could watch her for you.”

Cat turns to him with grateful eyes, “really?” 

Alec smiles, “of course. It would be my pleasure.” 

***

“Alec!”

Alec laughs as Madzie slams into his legs as soon as Cat opens the door for him. 

“Hi Madzie,” he laughs, looking down at where she’s hugging his legs. 

“Hi,” she says, sending him a large toothy grin. Alec can’t help but smile stupidly back. She’s really the cutest little thing. 

“I’ll be back bright and early,” Cat says to Alec and then leans down to press a kiss to Madzie’s head.

When she’s gone, Madzie happily takes Alec’s hand and leads him into the house, pointing out every little object on the way and describing it in great detail. 

When they get to the kitchen Alec finds the table covered in newspaper and a large canvas laid out over it.

Madzie grins at him when he looks at her questioningly, “I was painting before you came. Wanna help?”

Alec checks his watch. There’s still a few hours until Madzie’s bedtime so he nods and joins her at the kitchen table. 

Her canvas is half painted already with different colored flowers and random swirling lines. 

Madzie looks at him earnestly, “is it good?”

“Only the best art I’ve ever seen,” Alec assures, passing Madzie the paintbrush she reaches for. 

Once Madie gets focused, they sit in silence for a while. Alec follows Madzie’s instructions for mixing paint and watches as she painstakingly starts covering the edges of the canvas with a design.

Alec startles when Madzie looks up suddenly.

“We should put on some music while we paint.”

Alec smiles, pulling out his phone to comply. He opens YouTube and looks at Madzie expectantly, “what song do you want to listen to?”

Madzie’s eyes light up, “can you put on Uncle Magnus’ new song?” 

Alec freezes, dread pooping in his chest. 

“Who?” He asks faintly. 

Madzie tilts her head at him, brow furrowed. “Uncle Magnus. You know? Magnus _Bane_.” 

Alec swallows with some difficulty. He hasn’t heard any of Magnus’ music in five years. Hasn’t even _seen_ Magnus in five years. 

Madzie takes his phone and types something into the search bar. The sound of a guitar fills the room and then Magnus’ voice. 

Alec holds in a pained gasp. His voice has gotten a bit lower but it’s undoubtedly Magnus. Magnus who’d told Alec in that same voice that he’d write him a hundred love songs. 

Alec had broken them. He didn’t have the right to hurt like this. 

It’s been five years. Magnus is one of the most successful singer-songwriters in the world. He’s at the top of his game. He’s long moved on from what they’d had. Alec thought he had too.

Madzie has gone back to her painting, oblivious to the way Alec’s heart constricts in his chest. 

Alec squeezes his eyes shut and tries not to remember Magnus’ face that day. How much Alec had wanted to take it back once he’d seen Magnus’ face fall. How he knew he couldn’t even if he wanted to. 

Alec stops breathing, eyes snapping open, when he hears the end of the first chorus. 

_If only I could turn back the clock_

_To the part of me I left at Sunset Rock_

_Oh how I love you even now_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec tries not to think about the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow it has been four months since I posted the first chapter for this. Oops.

Magnus is leaving tomorrow. 

Alec can’t take his eyes off of him, and yet watching him hurts almost too much to bear. 

Tomorrow, Magnus is off to LA. To the world of celebrities, crazy parties, designer clothing, and paparazzi on every corner. All of those things scare Alec more than he’s willing to admit. But that world is also one where Magnus gets to share his talent with the rest of the world. 

It’s his  _ dream _ . 

But despite knowing tomorrow is everything Magnus has worked towards since he first picked up a guitar and decided to write a song, Alec wants him to stay. 

Magnus sits with his back to Alec, feet dangling over the side of the rocks over the water. The sky above him is starting to blur into golds and pinks. 

One more sunset together, they’d said. Alec blinks back tears. 

“Alexander?” Magnus turns to look at Alec over his shoulder, the sky casting half of his face in shadow. 

Alec wants so badly to support Magnus. To be able to go back and feel the immense pride he’d felt when Magnus had gotten that call weeks ago. But all Alec feels is dread. Dread and guilt. 

Magnus is still not sure he’ll make it big, but Alec is certain. Magnus is beyond talented. He knows that Magnus is going to be a well known name very soon. 

And  _ Alec _ . Alec doesn’t know if he can do it. 

Here at home, being in the closet and dating while the whole world  _ isn’t  _ watching is hard enough. Alec doesn’t think he can do it with the threat of paparazzi at every corner. 

Magnus doesn’t deserve that either. Magnus has been bright and proud about who he is for a long time now. The only reason he is hiding at all, is Alec. 

Alec knows he can’t keep making Magnus hide. Not now. Not when he’d just be holding him back. 

Alec looks up to meet Magnus’ eyes. He smiles at him in that way that always makes Alec want to kiss him. Today, all it does is make Alec’s chest cave in.

“Are you okay?” Magnus asks quietly, moving to kneel and face Alec. 

Alec closes his eyes when Magnus’ hand comes up to cup his cheek. His thumb swipes absently over Alec’s cheekbone and Alec leans into the touch.

When he opens his eyes again, Magnus is looking at him through his eyelashes, lips pulled up in the hint of a smile, “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” he asks, tapping Alec’s temple with two fingers. 

Alec leans forwards and kisses him, brightness lighting in his chest when Magnus’ smile grows under his lips. He lets out a laugh into Alec’s mouth and Alec wants to swallow the sound to keep in his chest forever. 

God, he’s so in love. 

But sometimes, love just isn’t enough. 

Alec pulls away, “We need to break up.”

Magnus recoils so quickly that Alec immediately regrets the bluntness with which he’d blurted out the words. 

“ _ What _ ?” 

Alec almost takes it back when he meets Magnus’ eyes and finds them wide and scared. But he’s already said it. He needs to do this. 

“I’m sorry Magnus,” Alec whispers, “I don’t think I can do it.” 

He hears Magnus’ breath hitch and then he’s scrambling closer, hands back on Alec, gripping his forearms so tight Alec is almost sure it’s going to leave bruises. “What do you  _ mean _ ? Where the hell is this coming from?” 

“I can’t hold you back,” Alec takes a shuddering breath to try and fight off tears. “I can’t. I won’t be able to forgive myself for that.”

Magnus seems like he’s at a loss for words. Alec just shakes his head and cups Magnus’ face, leaning forwards to press a kiss to his forehead. He gently pulls his arms from Magnus’ grip and stands up, turning to leave.

“Alexander,” Magnus says, voice wet and broken. Alec freezes, a tear slipping down his cheek. He doesn’t wipe it away. But he doesn’t turn back around either. 

The next day, Alec stands on his porch in the pouring rain. He doesn’t know why he’d held onto the hope that Magnus might come say goodbye. 

He’d broken Magnus’ heart. Of course he wasn’t going to come say goodbye. It still makes Alec’s chest ache in a way that feels like it will never go away. 

After a few minutes, Izzy comes out and curls around his arm, leaning into his side. She doesn’t say anything, just stares out into the rain with him. 

He’s glad the rain hides the tears.

***

“Alec?”

Alec blinks and shakes his head. He stares unseeingly back at himself in the bathroom mirror, hands on either side of the sink. His hands clench against the cool surface and he tries to take a deep breath.

He  _ needs  _ to stop thinking about high school and Magnus and everything he’d promised to just leave behind. 

“Dude, you’ve been staring at yourself in the mirror for an unhealthy amount of time.”

Despite Jace’s teasing tone, when Alec makes himself let go of the sink and turn to look at him, he looks genuinely worried. 

“Have you heard Magnus’ new song?” Alec asks quietly.

Jace winces, “yeah.  _ You’ve  _ heard it?” 

It’s a good question. Alec has spent the last five years actively avoiding every one of Magnus’ songs. Until today. 

He hadn’t been able to pay proper attention when Madzie had played the song the first time, too shocked and panicked to focus on anything except the last couple of lines.

He should have left it at that. But instead, Alec had thrown every self preservation instinct to the wind when he got in his car after leaving Cat’s. He had found the song easily enough and sucked in a breath when he’d found out it was called  _ Sunset Rock _ . It shouldn’t have surprised him. Magnus had always been sentimental. 

Alec had pressed play on the song. Because he is a self flagellating idiot.

It was beautifully written, because it’s Magnus’ song, so of course it was. But Alec had expected something more angry. Bitter even. He’d broken Magnus’ heart the last time he saw him. And yet Magnus sang about it all almost fondly. 

It should hurt. It still hurts  _ Alec _ everytime he thinks about it. 

Alec pushes past Jace and out of the bathroom.

“Alec—“ Jace places a hand on his shoulder. Alec doesn’t shrug him off, but it’s a near thing.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he murmurs without turning around. 

He really  _ really  _ doesn’t want to talk about this. Not now. Not ever. It had been his own decision, he doesn’t have the right to even be this upset over it.

Jace’s hand disappears and Alec actually misses the contact for a moment before Jace moves to face him with a small smile and his keys hanging off his index finger. “Okay, no talking,” he agrees, “chocolate and wine run?”

Alec lets out a surprised laugh and nods. He’s not sure what he did to deserve Jace as his best friend but he’s glad that he has him.

***

Alec wanders slowly down the grocery store aisle, picking up every kind of chocolate he can find. He won’t ever admit it, but it’s his comfort food. 

By the time he makes it to the end of the aisle, his hands are full and he’s struggling to pull out his phone to text Jace. 

He’s distracted enough trying to dislodge his phone from between his elbow and forearm that he doesn’t notice a person walking into the aisle in front of him and bumps straight into a hard chest. 

“Shit,” Alec mutters, scrambling to catch his phone but dropping all the chocolate in his attempt. 

Fingers wrap around his forearm to keep him on his feet and it takes Alec a moment to realize what has just happened. 

His shameful chocolate collection is strewn across the floor of the aisle and he’s almost fallen in front of this stranger. Alec fights a blush and keeps looking down at the chocolate in horror. Maybe if he doesn’t look up, the stranger will just go away. 

Except they aren’t letting go of him.

“You okay?” The person asks and Alec’s heart stutters in his chest. He  _ knows  _ that voice. 

Against his will, Alec slowly looks up and into the face of Magnus Bane for the first time in five years. 

“Alexander?” Magnus says, voice almost a whisper. His voice over Alec’s name is so fucking familiar that Alec has to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. 

He’s spurred into movement when Magnus finally lets go of his arm. Alec takes a step backwards on instinct.

“Magnus,” he gets out, taking another step backwards for good measure. He digs his fingernails into his palm and stands frozen, not sure what else to say. 

And then Magnus smiles. He smiles a brilliant  _ beautiful  _ smile and pulls Alec into a hug. 

Alec’s hands automatically move to clutch at his back and he has to fight the familiar urge to bury his face into Magnus’ shoulder the way he always used to. 

Magnus doesn’t smell the same and his body has filled out since they were teenagers. It doesn’t feel the same as hugging an eighteen year old Magnus.  _ His  _ Magnus. But then Magnus laughs and the sound vibrates into Alec’s chest and  _ that _ is exactly the same. Alec almost does bury his face into Magnus’ jacket at the feeling. 

“I haven’t seen you in forever,” Magnus exclaims when they pull apart. 

_ Not since I broke your heart _ , Alec’s traitorous brain supplies. 

“Yeah,” Alec says, “it’s—it’s been a while.” 

It  _ would _ be just Alec’s luck that he’s lived in the same city as Magnus for years now but hasn’t seen him but the  _ day _ he hears the goddamn song, he runs into the man. 

“What have you been up to?” Magnus asks with a smile, as if seeing Alec again hasn’t tilted his world on its axis. It probably hasn’t. It’s been five years. It shouldn’t bother Alec either. But it  _ does _ . 

“I’m a nurse,” Alec answers, trying to smile the same way Magnus is smiling at him. Like they’re just old friends catching up. 

Magnus was the first person Alec had told that he’d wanted to be a nurse. He’d been the one who’d encouraged Alec to actually apply to nursing school. 

Magnus’ smile changes slightly, growing a bit wider and moving into his eyes, “Probably everyone’s favorite.”

Alec blushes and looks away, “I don’t know about that.” 

He feels like he’s seventeen again, blushing when Magnus would smile at him across the classroom. 

Magnus tilts his head, searching Alec’s face silently for a moment. “You’re still the same,” he muses, “still don’t realize how great you are.” 

Alec blushes again and tries not to think about all the previous times Magnus had said that to him.

“How are you?” Alec cuts in, trying to steer the conversation away from the past. He can’t deal with that right now. 

Magnus shrugs, “I’m doing good. Have an album that I’m in the process of writing, and a new single out.” 

He says it carefully, like he’s watching Alec for a reaction. Alec had been pretty sure, but that is all the confirmation he needs that the song is indeed about him. Alec grits his teeth and tries not to let his smile falter. 

“That’s great!” he says as enthusiastically as he can. 

If Magnus notices anything off he doesn’t show it, just sends Alec a small smile and nod. His phone beeps and the smile turns to a grimace when he looks down at the text he’s received. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to run.” When he looks back up, his voice softens.“It was nice to see you again, Alec.” 

“Yeah,” Alec breathes, and finds that he means it. Despite the ache in his chest, seeing Magnus’ face again feels nice. Alec is almost scared he’ll never see him again if he lets him walk away right now. 

Magnus doesn’t leave immediately. Instead, he watches Alec quietly and then opens his mouth, hesitating a moment before he holds a hand out. 

“Give me your phone,” he says, as if he had somehow known exactly what Alec was thinking. Maybe he’d been thinking the same thing.

Alec hands it over wordlessly, watching the way Magnus’ eyelashes brush his cheekbones as he looks down to tap something into the phone. 

When he hands it back he’s smiling. “There, now you have my number and we won’t go that long before talking again.” 

Alec smiles lightly, some of the tension being released from his body. Magnus had always had the power to calm him in the worst of situations. It seems he still possesses that skill.

“My number’s still the same,” he says when Magnus watches him expectantly.

Magnus’ smile doesn’t dim, but something unnamed crosses his face for a moment before he speaks again. 

“Perfect,” he bends down to pick up the few chocolates Alec hadn’t managed to pick up, handing them to him. “I’ll talk to you later,” he says and seems to mean it. 

Alec stands there stupidly, watching him walk out of the aisle and out of sight. He looks down at his phone that now holds Magnus’ phone number. He is now only a text away. 

_ Shit _ .

“Well that was awkward.”

Alec startles, spinning around and finding Jace on the other side of the aisle holding two bottles of wine. 

“How long have you been there?” Alec demands. 

Jace raises a single eyebrow. “Long enough.”

Alec groans, almost dropping the chocolate again, “He gave me his number, Jace. I’m so fucked.”

All Alec can think about is Magnus’ smile and those stupid last words he’d said to him at Sunset Rock. 

“Yeah buddy,” Jace agrees, handing him one of the bottles and shaking his head, “you are very  _ very _ fucked.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always greatly appreciated.
> 
> Come talk to me  
> Tumblr: [lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [alistoney1](https://mobile.twitter.com/alistoney1)

**Author's Note:**

> I realized once I started writing this that I can’t write very good song lyrics lmao. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Come talk to me (I love talking to you guys)  
> Tumblr: [lightwormsiblings](https://lightwormsiblings.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [alistoney1](https://mobile.twitter.com/alistoney1)


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